Members of the Placentia’s Veterans Advisory Committee stand in the field that will soon become the Placentia Veterans Village. From left are David Johnson, Ronald Culler, Fabian Fragiao and Tony Rangel. The were attending the groundbreaking ceremony for Placentia Veterans Village was held on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Orange County community leaders and supporters of homeless veterans are hoping a development of 50 new apartments in Placentia will lead to success stories like that of Danny Sisneros, a former Marine who bounced back from homelessness.

Sisneros told his story Thursday, Nov. 1, at a groundbreaking for the Placentia Veterans Village, one of several projects for homeless veterans being developed by Mercy Housing. The nonprofit home-builder also runs a veterans’ apartment complex in El Monte, where Sisneros lives.

Veteran Danny Sisneros gave an emotional speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for Placentia Veterans Village .(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

In pain from military service-related injuries and drinking too much, Sisneros said he became homeless in 2010. About four years ago, by coincidence, he stopped into the El Monte Veterans Village when it was taking applications and was given the last available apartment, he said.

Sisneros has since had his medical issues treated, is studying at a community college and is active in his church, where he met the woman who is now his wife.

The El Monte facility “has allowed me to rest my soul, put a roof over my head and start the process of rebuilding my life,” he said.

Placentia City Administrator Damien Arrula wanted to bring veterans housing to the city, and he knew how because he’d worked on the El Monte development when he was that city’s economic development manager.

“When you look at the statistics, it’s alarming to see how many of the homeless population are veterans,” he said.

An illustration of the Placentia Veterans Village is displayed on a screen at the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

The Veterans Village site doesn’t look like much now – a dirt lot sandwiched between railroad tracks and a maze of industrial parks off Lakeview Avenue – but Arrula said in coming years officials plan to add walking trails and may rezone the area for multi-story residential development.

The village – expected to open in 2020 – will be the first of its kind in Orange County, Arrula said. A cooperative project of the city, the county, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and several lenders and nonprofit groups, the Craftsman-style apartment complex will offer a variety of on-site services and amenities to help veterans improve their lives, such as job training, financial literacy and yoga classes.

The $20 million project is being paid for largely by federal housing tax credits, as well as $2.7 million in county funds and various loans.

“Our hope is to provide a model that other cities can use and do this around the rest of Orange County,” Arrula said.

Officials agree there’s a need for more such homes. Orange County’s 2017 homeless count tallied about 400 veterans on the street, and the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development in January estimated about 37,700 homeless veterans nationwide.

Jim Gaffney is a retired Army Military Policeman. He salutes during the National Anthem during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Placentia Veterans Village on Thursday, November 1, 2018. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Navy veteran Frank Passarelli listens to a speech during the groundbreaking ceremony for Placentia Veterans Village on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

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Veteran Tony Rangel removes his hat for the national anthem during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Placentia Veterans Village on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Veteran Danny Sisneros gave an emotional speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for Placentia Veterans Village on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

An illustration of the Placentia Veterans Village is displayed on a screen at the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Members of the Placentia’s Veterans Advisory Committee stand in the field that will soon become the Placentia Veterans Village. From left are David Johnson, Ronald Culler, Fabian Fragiao and Tony Rangel. The were attending the groundbreaking ceremony for Placentia Veterans Village was held on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Navy veteran Michael Beaver sings the national anthem at the groundbreaking ceremony for Placentia Veterans Village on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

This is a view from behind a screen that depicted the look of the eventual Placentia Veterans Village. Dignitaries are waiting in front of the screen before participating in the groundbreaking. The ceremony was held on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Custom engraved shovels stand at the ready during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Placentia Veterans Village on Thursday, November 1, 2018.(Photo by Bill Alkofer, Contributing Photographer)

Mercy Housing Vice President of Real Estate Development Ed Holder said the company has three other projects totaling more than 170 units in the pipeline; one will expand the El Monte village, and two are in Northern California.

In the Inland area, Riverside opened a veterans community in 2016 and easily filled its 30 homes. Last year, the first veterans moved into a Midway City development of 16 studio apartments made from shipping containers. A Santa Ana veterans project to be built by Jamboree Housing should break ground in mid-2019.

“This thing that we’re doing is almost like throwing water in the ocean,” Placentia resident Ron Culler, a 27-year veteran of the Army and Air Force who serves on the city’s veterans committee, said of the need for help for veterans.

Still, Culler is proud of the project. “It’s something Placentia will be known for.”

Alicia Robinson covers Anaheim for The Orange County Register. She previously spent 10 years at The Press-Enterprise writing about Riverside and local government as well as Norco, Corona, homeless issues, Alzheimer's disease, streetcars, butterflies, horses and chickens. She grew up in the Midwest but earned Southern California native status during many hours spent in traffic. Two big questions Alicia tries to answer in stories about government are: how is it supposed to work, and how is it working?